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Well SHOOT....my fish died.....Help If You Want.

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Im not sure if it was a Bioload problem because all my water parameters checked out fine. My filtration was great, salinity is great, water movement was great as well as temp. The Damsel and Wrasse were fine and eating with good color. I got a couple of firefish gobys and had them in a well vented plastic container so they could acclimate to seeing their new home and tank mates. Well, I do believe I killed my tank. The damsel died the next morning (toughest punk went first) but the wrasse and the Fire gobys were hanging out being fish. The wrasses died before I went to work and the Gobys were still content observing. I come home after work...all dead...yay. Kinda XXXXX off, not about the money I spent, but not knowing what happened. Someone help me out here. Can seeing new fish cause them to die?

I don't know, but it sounds like a friend of mine that some one in the house sprayed air freshener and she didn't know until she had lost all her fish one by one. Could something have got in your tank? Soap, glass cleaner something like that ????

Sorry to hear about the set-back. I’m not too sure I could offer any sort of advice here without some more info. If you don’t mind:

How did you acclimate your fish to the tank (before putting them in that plastic container)?
Did the fish show any signs of odd behavior?
How long where the fish in your tank?
How did you cycle the tank and what are you using for biological filtration?
How long since your tank has been cycled?
How big is your tank?
If you used live rock, how much live rock do you have?
Have your water parameters changed at all?

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

How did you acclimate your fish to the tank (before putting them in that plastic container)? - I placed them in a small clean bucket and added tank water slowly, about 1 cup every 15 mins...I was trying to be careful and didn't want to shock them.

Did the fish show any signs of odd behavior? - Im picky about the health of the fish I purchase, I work at the petstore I got them from and watched them for over a week for any illnesses, they were also eating reliably.

How long where the fish in your tank? - The damsel roughly two months, My wrasse almost a month, the lil gobys didn't make it 48 hrs.

How did you cycle the tank and what are you using for biological filtration? - I have live rock and live sand. To help cycle it I used Biozyme and the damsel fish. (dont hate me for the damsel fish part)

How long since your tank has been cycled? - I failed to note the date (slaps hand) I tested the water weekly for the spikes, yes I had all of the spikes then everything dropped down and was stable (this was with my damsel)

How big is your tank? - 29 gallon

If you used live rock, how much live rock do you have? - I have 15lbs of live and a chunk of dead rock that is seeding well.

Have your water parameters changed at all? - No they haven't, I checked with my kit and at the store I work.

Now I did add a new canister filter, I rinsed it and all but it may have done it.

I'm not sure if this was the cause, but when you're going to have your fish in stagnant water for any long period of time (during acclimation), you should have an airstone in there to deliver oxygen to the fish.

I don't know how long is a "long period of time," but it's good to always do it to be safe.

Sounds like you certainly have been taking resonable steps to keep your tank in shape. I hope you don't mind, but I have a few more questions.

what are you running in the canister filter ?

Have you tested your pH, alkalinity, and calcium ?

If you are using tap water for water changes, have you tested your tap water with a FW test kit to see if anything changes with your water supply?

How have you been testing your salinity and at what level is your salinity currently at? Have you noticed any changes in your salinity ?

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]

Have you tested your pH, alkalinity, and calcium ? - About two weeks ago my alkalinity was somewhat high but when I tested it the night before the ph and alkalinity were fine. I fixed the alkalinity problem as soon as I found out about it. As far as calcium goes I have no idea on that one.

If you are using tap water for water changes, have you tested your tap water with a FW test kit to see if anything changes with your water supply? - We have a well, that's a good point because there may be metals in it, I am getting that tested today. When I found out about the Alkalinity in the SW tank I tested the FW tanks, their PH was a kinda high. Ive since fixed that problem in my FW. Could my soil cause that big of a change in my water?

How have you been testing your salinity and at what level is your salinity currently at? I use a Kent Marine Hydrometer and I keep the salinity at 1.022.

Have you noticed any changes in your salinity ? - Only once, it went up to 1.024 when I added some fresh water which seemed only a lil odd at the time.

Most hydrometers can have 0.003 variance. That could put your actual salinity anywhere between 1.019 and 1.025. I would suggest getting a refactormeter so you can accuratly measure your salinity and maintain the level between 1.025 and 1.026. This will get you close enough to natural sea water which is 1.027 and level a little wiggle room just incase. That will also help to keep your alkalinity and calcium levels in line which will make help to make your pH more stable.

I'm guessing the high mineral content in your well water just might be causing some problems. When water evaporates out of your system, only the water leaves which leave behind all the mineral in the water. These minrals will keep getting higher and higher and could get to toxic levels depending on what the exact minerals are or these could also cause changes in your pH. Both can be deadly to marine life

Have you considered using RO or RO/DI water ?

If you take your time to do the research FIRST, you can successfully set-up and keep ANY type of aquarium with ease."Not using a quarantine tank is like playing Russian roulette. Nobody wins the game, some people just get to play longer than others." - Anthony CalfoFishless CycleCycling with FishMarine Aquarium Info [URL="http://saltwater.aquaticcommunity.com/"]